Great North Run

A slightly different post from me today but something I wanted to share on here.

Next month, on the 15th September, I'm running the Great North Run...eek! The Great North Run is a half marathon, so is a 13.1 mile (21.08km) run starting in Newcastle and ending in South Shields. To say I'm nervous is an understatement! I've never been a 'runner', I hated athletics in school, although my only benefit is I've always been quite sporty - I used to swim competitively and enjoyed other sports at school. I started training properly when I came home from university in the middle of June. At the time I could only run 1.8 miles (3km) and was very unfit so I think a few people were questioning my decision to enter! 

I'm running for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (GOSHCC) which is a brilliant charity here in the UK. They need to raise over £50 million a year to be able to help the many sick children and their families effectively, so this event is an important fundraiser for them. 

I've been training 4 times a week since then and on Monday 26th August I completed a 14.3 mile (23.02km) run in 2h32. Totally unintentional I have to admit, my original route was 13.1 miles, until I got lost in a nearby village and ended up running round for a bit trying to find the right road! This run has made me slightly less nervous, I know I can run the full distance (despite it hurting a bit at the end) but we'll just have to wait and see what happens on race day now. 

My original aim was to complete the run in 2h30, however I have now reduced this to 2h15 which I think I could do, fingers crossed!

If you want to find out more about Great Ormond Street and the brilliant work they do, click HERE

If you want to donate to my JustGiving page (which I would be very grateful for) click HERE 

I have a target of £375 to raise, and I'm very close now!

If you want to follow my running routes/times etc, and other things that are going on in my life, follow me on Twitter HERE

Love Alice x

Haul | Boots & H&M

Hey guys, hope you all had a good weekend! I will hopefully have a post up later on this week about what I did this weekend so stay tuned for that.

But today I popped into town with my Mum and Sister and picked up a few bits and pieces which I thought I would show you.

Firstly I went to Boots. I always spend so much money in there, I don't think I've been in there once this year and not bought something (oops!). 

I needed to get some more body scrub so I repurchased the Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - £8 (link). I love the smell of this product, it reminds me of fizzy cola bottles which are one of my favourite sweets. I find the scrub 'scrubby' enough that you feel a difference to your skin but it's not so harsh that it irritates it. 

Next up I repurchased another favourite of mine for my hair which is the VO5 Give Me Texture Dry Texturising Spray - £3.89 (link). I like using this product to give my hair a bit of boost when it's down or up, I highly recommend it. This must be at least my 5th can now! As there was an offer on VO5 styling products of buy 2 for £5 I decided to also try out the VO5 Plump It Up Dry Backcomb Spray - £3.89 (link). This is one of the few products I haven't tried from in the range so I'll let you know how I get on with it. 

Lastly, I eyed up the new Maybelline Baby Lips - £2.99 (link) at the end of the aisle. My sister and I have been looking for these for ages and have looked in several Boots stores around the country but we finally got our hands on some! I decided to try the one in 'Cherry Me' as I like the idea of a tinted lip balm. I've just applied it now and it gives a really nice red tint to the lips that feels super moisturising. I'm definitely going to pick some more of these up!

Boots purchases
Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub
VO5 Give Me Texture Dry Texturising Spray and Plump It Up Dry Backcomb Spray
Maybelline Baby Lips in 'Cherry Me'

Lastly I popped into H&M and spotted this Burgundy Sleeveless Shirt - £14.99. No link unfortunately as I can't find it online, I'm pretty certain it's brand new in to stores as I've not seen it before today so you should be able to find it! I bought a similar shirt last year in white from their 'Conscious Collection' which I love to wear on nights out tucked into a skirt or shorts, so I thought this would be a perfect addition to my wardrobe as I'm back to university soon and I would think there will be quite a few nights out to come! This has got a low V neck with ruffles along the edges, with 'pearl' buttons down the front.

H&M Burgundy Sleeveless Shirt

Have you been shopping recently and picked up anything you love? 

Love Alice x

Tag | 21 Questions

I thought this would be a good way for you to get to know me a little bit better! So here's the 21 questions tag that I've seen on a few blogs. 

1. Are you named after anyone? As far as I'm aware no. Although my Great Great Grandma (I think/hope that's enough!) was also called Alice, I don't think I was specifically named after her.

2. When was the last time you cried? I genuinely can't remember! I don't cry very often at all.

3. Do you have kids? No!

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? Yes I think I would be.

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yeah a fair amount, I'd even use it on the internet if it wasn't for things being misinterpreted!

6. Will you ever bungee jump? Up until recently I would answer this question with a definite no. However more recently I think I may say yes, it's one of those once in a lifetime experiences isn't it? Not that I'll be rushing out to the nearest bungee jump any time soon though!

7. What's your favourite cereal? I don't really eat cereal but I like Weetabix or Fruit and Nut.

8. What's the first thing you notice about people? It may be shallow but probably what someone is wearing!

9. What is your eye colour? I have hazel coloured eyes.

10. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings every time!

11. Favourite smells? Christmas! The tree, food etc etc. Also freshly baked bread, cut grass, hay bales.

12. Summer or winter? Summer for the longer days, but I like winter as well to be able to wrap up in lots of layers.

13. Computer or television? Computer - technically you can watch television on it too!

14. What's the furthest you've ever been away from home? Florida

15. Do you have any special talents? No I don't think so.

16. Where were you born? England, in Cambridgeshire to be more precise.

17. What are your hobbies? Horse riding (I've ridden since I was 4), at the moment running! Shopping would be in there too, listening to music.

18. Do you have any pets? Yes, a Boxer called Libby and 3 cats - Hannah, Oscar and Mowgli

Left: Libby the Boxer
Middle: Mowgli on the left (he's a Bengal Snow Leopard) and Oscar (white and black)
Right: Hannah
Libby is incredibly photogenic, the cats not so much so for now sleeping pictures will have to do I'm afraid!

19. Favourite movie? Tough one but probably Billy Elliot.

20. Do you have any siblings? Yes, a younger sister Emily, she's nearly 15.

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? I'd love to renovate houses but failing that something in property/real estate (at the moment anyway, I change my mind regularly)

I hope this has given you a better idea of what I'm like outside of this blog. If you have any other questions feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Love Alice x

Fashion | Wishlist #1

I'm forever looking for new things to add to my fashion wishlist, so here are 5 things I'm lusting after this month!

1. Zara - Blazer With Roll Up Cuffs 
(link)

£49.99

I love this blazer in the 'Light Grey' after seeing it in the Oxford Street Zara in London a few weeks ago. I think it would look so nice with jeans and Converse for going to lectures when I'm back at uni. Definitely worth the money but I need to wait for my student loan to come in before I make any more big purchases!

2. Topshop - Black Joni Jeans 
(link)

£36

I bought the Joni jeans in the 'Vintage' colour a few weeks ago and I'm in love. They were my first pair of Topshop jeans and I think I may have become slightly addicted. Being made from a soft material makes them really comfy which I also like. I like black jeans more in Winter so I may well invest in another pair soon.

3. Abercrombie & Fitch - High Rise Shorts (Embellished Light Wash) 
(link)
£130

Again I saw these when I went to London a few wees ago, and I was in love until I saw the price tag (£130 eek!) These I feel may stay on my wishlist for a very long time...

4. Abercrombie & Fitch - Mid Rise Shorts (Light Wash With Shine Dots) 
(link)
£58

These are my slightly cheaper alternative to the above shorts. I wear denim shorts on night outs at uni so I'd definitely get my wear out of them. I also like them because they are slightly different to your standard denim short with the sparkle dots.

5. ASOS - Daisy Street Kimono Top (Circle Print) 
(link)
£22.99

I was just having a browse of ASOS earlier and came across this top. It's not my usual style but I really like it! I think it would look nice paired with black jeans and heels or Converse (depending on the occasion).

What items are on your fashion wishlist this month?

Love Alice x

Beauty | Sleek Face Form

Sleek is a brand that has been on my 'to try' list for as long as I can remember. It has always struck me as a affordable brand, whilst providing good quality products, and who can complain about that?! I've been wanting to try out the 'Face Form' palette, as I've been wanting a contour powder to test. Luckily for me, I was gifted this palette for my birthday last week and I'm already in love!

Sleek 'Face Form' in shade 'Light'

I received the palette in the shade 'Light' and inside contains a light contouring powder, a highlighter and a blush in 'Rose Gold'. I also love the packaging as it reminds me of a higher end brand (take a wild guess which one!) and it comes with a decent size mirror inside which is always a plus when travelling.

The contour shade is perfect for my skin tone as I'm quite fair. I don't find it too dark or too muddy, plus it's well pigmented so is easy to apply. I also like the highlighter, as I don't find it too glittery as it leaves a shimmer on the skin. I'm a massive fan of highlighters but all my others are cream so it's nice to have a powder one to add to my collection. The blush is a pretty pinky coral with gold shimmer through it. However on the skin I find it adds more shimmer than colour which is a shame. This colour I find looks lovely in the summer, with a tan etc but I'm going to keep working on the blush to see if I can add more colour without adding a ton of shimmer on top. Having said that I do like the finish it gives to the skin so I do think I'll use it.

Swatches in 2 different lights
Top: Blush
Middle: Highlighter
Bottom: Contour

I think this palette is a lovely addition to anyone's makeup collection and it's convenient with the 3 products in 1 if you're travelling around. I'm glad I've finally got this product to add to my collection!

This palette RRP is £10 and is available to buy from HERE

Have you tried the Sleek Face Form? What are your opinions on it?

Love Alice x

Hello!

This is my third attempt at starting this blog and I'm still slightly hesitant, maybe it'll be third time lucky eh?! I've toyed with the idea of 'blogging' for a few years now, having developed a perhaps, slightly unhealthy obsession with makeup and beauty products. This obsession only seems to keep growing, despite my limited student budget. As well as this, I want to create lifestyle type posts.

So where do I start...well I'm Alice, and I'm about to start my second year at Newcastle University. When not at university I live in a rural West Oxfordshire village, my two homes are very different as you may imagine! 

I aim to create a lifestyle/beauty/fashion blog, which I hope many of you will enjoy and continue to follow on its journey (hopefully I'll get a bit further compared to other attempts to start!)

Love Alice x